Swimming device.



A. H. BROWN. SWIMMING DEVICE. APPLICATION-FILED NOV. 28, 1914.

1,140,107. I Patelifed May 18,1915.

anwwto'z THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. FHOTQ-L'THO" WASHINGTON. D. C.

To all whom it may concern STATES PATENT OF C ALFRED H. BROWN, OF JERSEY CITY, JERSEY.

SWIMMING DEVICE. i

Be it known that I, ALFRED H. BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and water by presentinga greater resisting surface to the water on the propulsion stroke of theswimmer than is afforded by the limbs and extremities of the human body.

As is well known in swimming and especially in the overhand strokes suchas the trudgeon and the crawl, the arm is brought entirely out of thewater at the completion of the stroke and again plunged into the.

water at a point in advance of the head, the arm being crooked at theelbow. and the forearm and wrist being held substantially in alinementwith the fingers slightly bent, and it is the object of my invention toprovide a swimming device which, in its use, will permit the arms of theswimmer to assume this natural position, and in which the excess ofpower necessary to force the greater resisting surface through the wateris distributed over the maximum length of the arm and so is not liableto cause a muscular strain on any parts thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swimming device whichwill leave the fingers free, to grip the edge of the board to hold themuscles of the forearm taut, or to grasp a float, ladder, or otherobject.

Other objects of this invention are simplicity and cheapness ofconstruction, together with convenience of manipulation, whereby thedevice may be readily and rapidly secured to and removed from the arm.

Still further objects of the invention will be pointed out in thedetailed description hereinafter to follow.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a substantially rectangularboard or paddle which extends from a point on the forearm just below theelbow down over the front of the forearm and covers the palm of the handbut leaves the fingers free, which board or paddle is securely fastenedto the arm by straps, which are so arranged that Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed November 28, 1914. Serial 0. 874,363.

any relative movement between the paddle and arm is prevented, but stillpermitting;

the device to be used with little, if any discomfort to the wearer.

" I shall now describe the embodiment of my invention illustrated intheaccompanylng drawings and shall thereafter point out my invention in theclaim.

Figure 1 is a plan of my device showing the'manner in which it issecuredto the fore- I arm of a person; and Fig. 2 is an end view of thedevice; Y

The device illustrated comprises a board or paddle 1, which is ofgeneral rectangular shape, having its corners preferably rounded toprevent'the arm of the swimmer from bemg scratched or otherwise injured.As 3 stated, the length of this board is such that it extends from apoint suflicientlybelow the elbow so as not to interfere with thebending of the forearm, and extends down over the front of the forearmand palm of the hand to a point adjacent the knuckle joints of thefingers. The board 1 is of a width slightly exceeding the-width of thehand and to extend slightly beyond the forearm of the person wearing it,on each side thereof. The

width of the board may however be varied to suit the wearer, or in otherwords, a person possessing great muscular energy would use a board ofgreater width than a slender person for the larger the surface areawhich is used, the greater, the increase in the power developed, andhence in the speed of pro- I pulsion of the body through the water. Ithas been found that by utilizing this maximum length of board, withoutinterfering with the stroke of the swimmer, the muscular energy demandedin forcing such a paddle or board through the water against theresistance of the water, is therefore more uniformly distributed and forthis reason.

the swimmer will not so easily tire. It will also be seen that by havingthe board extend down over the palm of the hand the wrist is protectedfrom the strains which would result if a device were used which coveredthe hand alone and did not extend up over the forearm of the wearer.

The board is of slight transverse curvature similar to the spoon oarwhich gives a better grip upon the water on the propelling stroke aswell as permitting the arm to be more readily drawn from the water atthe termination of the stroke than if a flat board were used. Anymaterial, such as cork, wood, and if desired, even a light metal such asaluminum, may be used, but care must be exercised to leave no sharpedges which may strike against and cut or otherwise injure the user.

The board is secured to the arm and hand by means of three strapsdesignated 2, 3 and l, the hand strap 2 being secured to the convex sideof the board at a point adjacent one end of it so that when the deviceis in position on the arm, it will engage over the back of .the hand ata point adjacent the knuckle joints. The wrist strap 3 is so arranged atan intermed ate position on the board as to engage over the wrist of thewearer. Each of these straps is preferably made in a single piece, andif desired, may be of elastic material to securely and tightly hold thehand and wrist against the board.

The arm strap 5 is arranged adjacent the other end of the boards and ispreferably made in two sections, one ofwh-ich is provided with a buckle6 so that the size of the loop may be adjusted to the size of theforearm of the wearer. By using three straps in this manner it isevident that the board is securely held to the user and there is nodanger of it loosening while in the water.

Since with the use of this device the fingers of the hands are free, thewearer may secure the devices upon both arms without any aid and when inthe water he may grasp Copies .of this patent may be obtained 01 a floator ladder to draw himself from the Water, or may grip the edge of thepaddle and thus tighten the muscles of the forearm to avoid strainingthem. The thumb of the hand can also grip the side edge of the boardadjacent the lower as will be clear from the drawings. These featuresare of considerable advantage with devices of this character.

I claim:

A swimming device adapted to be secured to the front of the forearm andhand of the user, comprising a board of a length suflicient to extendfrom the elbow down over the palm of the hand, and having on its rearface a hand strap arranged adjacent one end of the board, an arm straparranged adjacent the other end of the board, and a wrist strapintermediate the two, said hand strap engaging over the back of the handof the user just above the knuckle joints when said wrist and arm strapsengage, respectively, the wrist and the arm of the user adjacent theelbow, whereby the device is securely held to the user with the fingersfree to engage over the lower edge of the board.

In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALFRED H. BROWN.

Witnesses VIo'roR D. BoRs'r, WALDO M, OHAPIN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

